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“I love it.”
“Buck, you said that the last three times we were here.”
“Yes, and each time I see the place I love it a little more.”
The blonde and brunette stood at the entrance to the Brooklyn apartment that they (Tony) had just bought. It was very spacious: way too big for Bucky and Steve’s standards, but Tony insisted on buying them the biggest apartment they liked as a way of “atoning for his actions”, as he put it.
The hardwood floors were similar to the color of brandy (which Steve definitely did not drink ever , kids!), and in the middle of the living room was a gray rug, with cream colored sofas surrounding it against the vintage brick walls. A large mirror on the wall made the place look even bigger. The ceiling was made of wooden planks, with gaps in between for lights. Bucky took a step into the apartment, and then another, his legs leading him to the couch, where he ultimately collapsed onto it.
“Buck,” Steve laughed, “we’ve gotta move the rest of our stuff in, get up.”
“Ngggghhhhhh. Can’t we just ask Tony to get us moving people or whatever we call them these days?” Bucky moaned into a pillow.
Steve rolled his eyes before jumping onto the couch/Bucky. The brunette grunted at the added weight, but after a second pulled the blonde closer to him, both arms wrapped around Steve as if he were a stuffed animal. He stuffed his face into Steve’s neck, sniffing his hair. “Your hair smells good.”
“You are a literal child. C’mere.” Steve grunted as he lifted himself from the couch, to Bucky’s dismay. After a bit of whining, Steve managed to get the ex-assassin to sit across from him at a table in the kitchen.
Steve looked around, taking in everything that had happened to him in the last few years. After everything he had been through, the man who promised to be with him ‘till the end of the line was still there, giving him a shy smile. Both of Bucky’s hands were on the table, and Steve reached out and grasped the metal one, giving it a slight squeeze. Bucky glanced down at the hand entwined with his metal one, and softly squeezed back.
“I can’t believe we’re here. I mean, it’s 2019. We’re both over 100 years old,” Steve let out a small huff of laughter, Bucky laughing as well.
“We’ve become the old men across the street from you we used to make fun of back when we were kids.”
“Man, we were assholes.”
“Yeah, we had no idea how rough it would be. We get so many aches and pains now, and all of these young folk are so confusing with their slang,”
“Buck,” Steve laughed, grasping the metal hand with both of his own now.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, pal.”
“And... I want to be with you for the rest of my life.”
“Steve, what are-“
“Look inside your hand.”
Bucky glanced at the hand Steve uncovered, and opened it up. Inside was a shiny silver ring attached to a chain, with little carvings on it. He squinted at the carvings, which wrote out, ‘I’m with you ‘till the end of the line, pal’. Bucky’s lips parted, “Steve, is this- where are you?” Bucky blinked at the empty seat in front of him. He turned around, and found Steve on one knee on the floor beside him. Bucky lifted his human hand to his mouth, a little shocked by what was happening.
“God, you move like a cat,” Bucky whispered through his fingers, causing Steve to crack a smile.
“James Buchanan Barnes, you have been the man I have always looked up to, and still look up to even today. When we first met, you saw me being beaten to shit by a bunch of kids from our school. They had formed a circle around me, and a few at a time would come in and start kicking me as hard as they could. You broke into the middle, and to be honest, I thought you were going to join them. But you didn’t. You socked the biggest kid right in the jaw, and didn’t even wince at how badly your knuckles must’ve hurt. You told them to get lost, and might’ve saved my life that day. You never knew this, but I vowed that day to try my hardest to become as good of a guy as you were (and are). After that day, once you left after patching me up (you insisted), I didn’t see you for a couple of days. I thought you had forgotten about me. But a week later, in the pouring rain, I heard a weak knock on the door,” Steve paused to swallow, getting a little emotional. “You came back. You told me, ‘M’sorry, I would’ve come sooner, but I didn’t know where you lived! I had‘ta ask around the neighborhood where I saved your butt’. You had no idea how happy I was. But I also doubted you, because people had said those kind of things all the time to me, but they didn’t mean it. I asked if you really meant it, or if you were just making up an excuse, and you… you replied, ‘of course I meant it, punk. I’m with you till the end of the line’. And growing up together, you constantly promised me the same thing, that you would be with me 'till the end of the line’. And now, I’m here to return that promise. I said it on the helicarrier, and I’m saying it now. I promise to be by your side until I die. I promise that no matter what, through thick and thin, I will always have your back. I promise to be with you till the end of the line, if you say yes. And even if you don’t, I’ll still be there for you, because I’m 'a stubborn ass' according to you.” Bucky let out a choked laugh, happy tears sliding down his cheeks. “So, I guess what I’ve been trying to say is… Bucky Barnes, will you marry me?”
“Yes. yes yes yes yes yes YES . Yes, Steve, I will marry you,” Bucky murmured as he got up from his chair and tackled his fiancé to the ground, kissing him all over his face. And when he finished covering every square inch of Steve’s blushing face, he moved to his neck, sucking at the soft skin making red marks appear.
“Woah, Buck… not complaining or anything, but you know it’s tradition to do it the night you get engaged, not at,” Steve paused to check his watch, straining his neck to see over the huge body on top of him “3 o’clock in the afternoon.”
“That’s for when you get married, dumbass. I say when you get engaged, you do it immediately after and then later that night. Agreed?”
“Yes sir,” Steve nodded, laughing as Bucky lifted him in the air and carried him bridal style to the bedroom. Steve slammed the door shut after them, probably pissing off his new neighbors, but he didn’t care. He was marrying the best guy in the god damned world; he could care less what his neighbors (or anyone) thought.